Sex, Drugs & Rock n Roll

He loves his vinyl, is schooled in the rich traditions of rock, smokes like a fooking chimney, drinks like a sailor on shore leave & . . . is hell bent on losing himself in a sea of meaningless pussy!

That's the flawed but ultimately lovable character played by David Duchovny in this Showtime series. Californication tells the tale of a down & out author who was once dangerously cutting edge but is now just a parody of his former glory. His former books - South of Heaven, Season in the Abyss, & God Hates Us All (sound familiar?) - captured the zeitgeist of early 2000s but hasn't written a jot in 7 years. Living on past glories, he is also deeply embittered that his last book was turned into a shmaltzy romantic comedy by Tinseltown.

The underlying plot to it all is his quest to win back his ex-lover & teenage daughter. The ex loves him but cannae stomach his philandering & child-like behaviour while his teenage daughter revels in the fact that her dad is cooler-than-thou but wishes he could be more of parent sometimes.

Set in decadent LA where everyone's a hustler, the stories play on the loneliness & dark comedic value of adults lost in a fug of over-indulgence. Fer instance, Hank Moody (Duchovny's character) gets himself in a fine mess when he inadvertently beds his ex's underage stepdaughter & opens himself to all sorts of blackmail by the little Lolita.

Funny, heart-warming & strangely addictive, Californication has all the right ingredients to be that perfect rainy Sunday afternoon companion. Highly recommended.

ps: Strangely enough, with a new arrival in me household, wifey & meself seem to have more time watching films / series. Suppose we are just stuck at home with Seth fer now & all we can do is zone out in front of the idiot box. Who says having a kid means having nay time fer yerself?

pps: Check out this snippet below & see if ye recognise the actor playing the deejay (clue . . . Black Flag!!!)